C.A. Coates

C.A. Coates

6 Sermons
C.A. Coates (December 7, 1862 – October 7, 1945) was an English preacher, Bible teacher, and hymn writer whose ministry profoundly influenced the Plymouth Brethren movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born Charles Andrew Coates in Bradford, Yorkshire, to a Christian family, he experienced a significant conversion in 1878 at age 16, sparking a lifelong devotion to Christ. Raised in a region rich with evangelical fervor, he spent much of his life in Teignmouth, Devon, where he fellowshipped with Brethren assemblies, notably breaking bread at Rebecca Street Hall in Bradford for many years. Physically frail throughout his life, he turned periods of illness into opportunities for prayerful study of Scripture, which fueled his extensive writings. Coates’ preaching career centered on expounding biblical truths with clarity and spiritual depth, often through addresses at Brethren gatherings and in written works like An Outline of the Song of Songs and The Believer Established. Never ordained in a traditional sense, he served as a lay minister, contributing hymns such as “Gathered to Thy Name, Lord Jesus” to the 1881 Little Flock Hymnbook, still used in some Brethren circles. His ministry emphasized Christ’s preeminence and the church’s unity, though later in life he supported James Taylor Sr.’s controversial views on the non-eternal sonship of Christ, a stance that drew criticism. Married but with scant personal details recorded, he died at 82 in Teignmouth, leaving a legacy of over 20 books and numerous articles preserved by publishers like Kingston Bible Trust.
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